Textile sliver can



Oct. 18, 1966 v. T. FAHRlNG ER 3,279,639

TEXTILE SLIVER CAN Filed May 19, 1965 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 7707-08 1 EHEIIVEEE United States Patent 3,27 9,639 TEXTILE SLIVER CAN Victor T. Fahringer, Clarksville, Va., assignor to Burlington Industries, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 19, 1%5, Ser. No. 456,931 Claims. (Cl. 220-4) The present invention relates to a sliver can and, more particularly, to a sliver can for receiving a resilient and springy textile sliver from a coiler or the like, the can being capable of closing by detachable lids so that sliver can be retained therein for storage or subsequent textile processes.

Sliver delivered from textile carding and drawing machines is fed by a coiler into cans, the coiler uniformly and helically coiling the sliver about the interior of the cans. Heretofore, it has been a practice after a sliver can has been filled, to promptly remove the coiled sliver from the can :and transport it to a press where it is subjected to steam and compressed into a sliver ball and wrapped in tissue paper for storage and subsequent treatment such as dyeing, further drawing, leveling or the like. The present invention contemplates providing a sliver can in which the sliver may be tightly compressed and once compressed in the can, lids or closure ends are applied into the ends of the can so that the sliver can be stored in the can as well as subsequently treated in the can. This materially reduces labor in the textile plant during the processing of yarn and further increases productivity of the plant because the sliver is not physically handled and thus subject to damage from felting. Also, it is not necessary to treat the sliver with steam which often times reduces its strength and limits its further processability although the sliver may be wetted by cool water as it is being coiled in the can so that it will be moist when compressed.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sliver can and lid arrangement tor the can wherein the resilient and springy sliver coiled into and compressed in the can maintains the lid in tight engagement within the can.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved sliver can and lid arrangement in which the interior of the sliver can is provided with a smooth uninterrupted wall throughout the length thereof and in which the lid for the sliver can is applied by pressing it into the can against the sliver in the can, the forces of the sliver acting again-st the lid in such a manner that once the latches are applied to hold the lid in position, the aforementioned forces function to retain the lid in position within the can and latches in the latched position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved sliver can in which sliver stored therein may be treated within the can by liquid such as dye or the like.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved elongated cylindrical sliver can which is open at both ends and which has gravity pivoted latches thereon at both ends whereby one lid can be applied to one end of the sliver can and the second lid can be utilized to compress sliver into the can and the latches holding both lids tightly within the can due to the forces exerted on the lids by the resilient and springy sliver therein.

This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more :lT-ully in the following specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the sliver can and its lid of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, the view illustrating the upper lid for the sliver can in phantom lines and in latched position, and the lower lid for the sliver can also in phantom lines and being moved upwardly into latched position; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 1 the view being on an enlarged scale and illustrating one of the latches.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like character or reference numerals represent like or similar parts in the several views, FIGURE 1 best illustrates in perspective the sliver can 10 of the present invention. In more detail the sliver can 10 includes an elongated substantially cylindrical body 12 having a plurality of perforations 14 therein throughout its length. As best shown in FIGURE 2 the cylindrical body 12 has an interior wall 16 which is smooth throughout its entire length so that there are no inward projections upon which sliver could be damaged when being coiled in the can or when being removed from the can. Also, the interior wall 16 must be smooth in order to receive an upper lid or closure end 18 and a lower lid or closure end 20. The lids 18 or 24) are identical in construction and are of a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the cylindrical body 12 of sliver can 10, as they must be able to slide into the can. The cylindrical body 12 of sliver can It) is preferably made of metal such as aluminum, magnesium, or stainless steel, although it could be made from plastic materials.

The upper and lower ends respectively of the cylindrical body 14 of sliver can 10 are provided with annular radially extending flanges 22 and 24 respectively, the flanges being suitably secured thereto by welding or the like. The flanges 22 and 24 provide a means of support for the sliver can when the sliver can is used in an apparatus such as disclosed in the copending application of Thomas W. Wilson, Victor T. Fab-ringer and Samuel S. Hiser, entitled Apparatus ancl Process for Coiling Sliver or the Like in Cans, Ser. No. 457,047, filed May 19, 1965. It might be added at this time that in the aforementioned copending application, the process and the apparatus for coiling and compressing the sliver into the sliver can 10 and the application of the lids 18 and 20 is fully disclosed and to that extent forms a part of the present disclosure.

Positioned inwardly of each of the flanges 22 and 24, and spaced therefrom are reinforcing rings 26 and 28, respectively. The reinforcing rings 26 and 28 extend about the periphery of the cylindrical body 12 and are suitably secured thereto by welding or the like.

Between the ring 26 and the flange 22 and circumferentially spaced about the cylindrical body 12 are a plurality of longitudinally extending elongated slots 30. Likewise, between the lower lid 20 and the lower flange 24 there are a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitu dinally extending slots 32. As will be evident from FIGURE 1 there are four such slots 30 discriminately spaced about the upper end of the cylindrical body 12 as well as four of the slots 32 spaced about the lower end thereof. A pair of longitudinally extending lugs 34 are fixed to the exterior of the cylindrical body adjacent each of the slots 30 and 32, the lugs of each pair of lugs 34 extending along the sides of the slots 30 and 32.

A pivot pin 36 extends through each pair of lugs 34 on an axistangential to a circle about the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body 12. Each pivot pin 36 is adapted to pivotally support a gravity pivoted latch 38, all of the latches 38 being identical in construction. In more detail, the latch 38 is-L-shaped in side elevation and includes a short arm 40and a long arm 42 of greater weight than the short arm. The short arm 41) of each latch 38 is arranged to swing into and out of the interior of the cylindrical body 12 through the elongated slots 30 and 32 for the purpose of retaining and removing of the lids 18 and 20 on the sliver can. The arm 40 is limited in its movement into the interior of the cylindrical body 12 by engagement of the arm 42 with the reinforcing ring 26 as shown in the upper portion of FIGURE 2. It will be noted further that when the arm 40 is in its innermost position with respect to the body 12, as shown in the upper portion of FIGURE 2, the arm 40 has a lid abutting surface 44 which extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of the body 12. Additionally, the arm 40 is provided with a camming surface 46 which is utilized to cam the latch 38 outwardly when one of the lids is being inserted into the end of the body 12. For the purpose of illustration only, the camming action is disclosed in the lower portion of FIG- URE 2 wherein the lid 20 is being moved upwardly in the direction of the arrow A until the lid has passed the end of the arm 40 and then the arm can be swung back to a position where the lid will abut against the surface 44 of the arm. The sliver can is identical in construction at both ends of the same so that either end may be used as the-upper end of the can when coiling. Since the arm 42 is longer in construction than the arm 40 of each latch 38, the upper latch 38 will normally assume the position shown in the upper portion of FIGURE 2 as the weight of the arm 42 swings the latch to this position. The lower latch 38 will normally swing outwardly so that its arm 40 passes through the slot 32 and out of the interior of the body 10 and as explained in the aforementioned copending application, once the upper lid 18 has been cammed passed the upper latches 38, and those latches swung back into the latching position shown, the lower lid is actually pushed up past the end of the arm 40 to compress the sliver against the upper lid and then the lower latches 38 are swung to the full line position and the forces of the compressed sliver in the can 10 push the lids 18 and 20 outwardly of each otherand thus the lids 18 and 20 will bear tightly against the surface 44 of the upper and lower latches 38 and the latches will be held in latching position.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be noted that each of the lids 18 and 20, which are identical in construction, include a substanttially fiat plate member 46 having a central aperture or hole 48 therethrough about which extends a collar ring 50. An annular ring 52 of less diameter than the plate member 46 is rigidly secured to the plate member and radial spokes 54' extending between the .annularring 52 and the collar ring 50 further make the lid 18 more rigid. The hole or aperture 48 through the lid 18 or 20 provides a means wherein an elongated tube may be extended up to a filled sliver can 10 with lids thereon, the tube having holes therein and through which liquid under pressure can be discharged into the sliver, the liquid being discharged from the sliver and the sliver can through the perforations 14 in the sliver can.

When it is desired to remove one of the lids 18 or 20 from within the end of the sliver can it is merely necessary to apply an inward pressure to the lid so as to move the lid away from the surface 44 of the arm 40 of latch 38, sufiicient distance to permit the arm 40 to be swung outwardly through its respective aperture or slot- 30 or 32. Then the lid may be lifted out of the end of the can. The sliver can then be removed from the interior of the can and since there are no projections on the inner wall 16 of the can, there is no chance of the sliver being damaged.

4, It will be noted by reference to FIGURES 2 and 3 that when the latches 38 are in latching positionas shown in the full lines, the peripheral edges of the radially extending flanges 22 and 24 terminate beyond the outermost point on the arms 42 of the latches. By such an arrangement, the sliver can 10 when loaded with sliver and closed by lids 18 and 20, may be rolled on its side in the plant without damage to the latches.

The sliver can heretofore described andillustrated in the drawing fully and effectively accomplishes the objects However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that certain modiand advantages of the invention.

fications may be made to the sliver can of the present invention without departing from the principles or spirit of the invention.

Therefore, the terminology used throughout the specification is for the purpose of description and not limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination: a sliver can for compactly receiving a resilient and springy sliver, said can having an elongated cylindrical body; lids for each end of said sliver can, each lid having an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of said cylindrical body; and latch means carried by said cylindrical body at each end thereof and coacting with said lids respectively 'by engagementwith the same to retain said lids in the ends of said body said 'body to swing into the interior of said body and means to limit the swinging movement of the arm.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which said limit means includes a second arm on each of said latches integral with said first arm and arranged to engage the exterior of said body upon a predetermined pivoting movement of said first arm into the interior of said body. 4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which said cylindrical body is provided with a plurality of perfora- V tions.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 4 in which each of said lids has a central opening therein.

- 6. In combination: a sliver can for compactly receivmg a resilient and springy sliver coiled therein, said can having an elongated cylindrical body with a smooth interror wall; a plurality of circumferentially spaced latches at each end of said body, said latches being pivotally.

connected to said body exteriorly of the interior and arranged to pivot into said body, each of said latches 'being L-shaped in side elevation to define a first arm and a second arm longer than said first-arm, said body. having slots adjacent each of said latches whereby said first arm can be pivoted into the interior of the body until said second arm engages the body; a pair of lids for the ends of said body, said lids having an outside diameter less than the interior diameter of said body, said lids being arranged to be held in position by engagement with the first arm of each latch when sliver in the can is exerting an outward pressure against the inner surface of said lids.

7. The combination as claimed in claim6 in which i the first arm of each latch includes a camming surface for engagement With the lids when the lids are being inserted into the ends of the body.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 6 in which a plurality of pairs of longitudinally extending lugs are pro.-. vided adjacent the slots in said body, said lugs being arranged to receive a pivot pin for each latch.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 6 including a reinforcing ring rigidly secured to the exterior of said body interiorly of the slots in the end of said body, said ring being arranged to abut said second arm of each latch when the latch is pivoted to a position where said first arm extends interiorly of the body.

10. The combination as claimed in claim 9 in which said body is provided at each of its ends with an annular radially extending flange.

6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,595,230 5/1952 Davian 2204 2,703,806 5/1955 Wilkie 19-66 2,779,977 2/ 1957 Wilkie 1966 2,780,838 2/ 1957 Wilkie 19-66 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

J. B. MARBERT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: A SLIVER CAN FOR COMPACTLY RECEIVING A RESILIENT AND SPRINGLY SLIVER, SAID CAN HAVING AN ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL BODY; LIDS FOR EACH END OF SAID SLIVER CAN, EACH LID HAVING AN OUTSIDE DIAMETER LESS THAN THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY; AND LATCH MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CLINDRICAL BODY AT EACH END THEREOF AND COACTING WITH SAID LIDS RESPECTIVELY BY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAME TO RETAIN SAID LIDS IN THE ENDS OF SAID BODY SAID LATCH MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO RESTRAIN SAID LIDS AGAINST OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE LIDS WHEN SLIVER IN SAID BODY IS COMPRESSED AND EXERTS OUTSIDE LONGITUDINAL FORCES AGAINST THE INTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID LIDS. 